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“This old-style roadside attraction still entertains little kids and nostalgic adults” 3 of 5 stars
Review of Dinosaur Gardens

Dinosaur Gardens
11160 US 23 South, Ossineke, MI 49766
989-471-5477
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Ranked #2 of 3 Attractions in Ossineke
Type: Amusement/ Theme Parks
Attraction Details
Columbia, South Carolina
Top Contributor
319 reviews 319 reviews
195 attraction reviews
Reviews in 116 cities Reviews in 116 cities
135 helpful votes 135 helpful votes
“This old-style roadside attraction still entertains little kids and nostalgic adults”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed July 7, 2014

Dinosaur Gardens is a holdover from the late 1940s to early 1960s roadside attraction era. Although it lacks the garish billboards that were a trademark feature of its genre, the place is instantly recognizable as a relic of a bygone era. Adults who appreciate this historic perspective will find this place fascinating. Little kids love Dinosaur Gardens too, because they don’t much care that the painted concrete sculptures are crudely rendered and they aren’t much bothered by the fact that the place is badly outdated, riddled with inaccuracies and weird juxtapositions, and more than a little wacky in the aggregate. Alas, relatively few adults, teens, or tweens are likely to find Dinosaur Gardens very entertaining. A big reason is that youngsters today are pretty dinosaur-savvy. While we were there a five year old girl pointed out that the forearms of the T-Rex sculpture should have just two fingers, not three.

Visited July 2014
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14 reviews from our community

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Date | Rating
  • English first
  • Any
English first
Chicago, Illinois
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
“A fun little adventure”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed September 4, 2013

As a child, growing up in Northern Michigan, we took a field trip to Dinosaur Gardens. A few weeks ago, visiting with my own child - a toddler, we swung through to see if "The DG" was as good as I remember. Now, the statues of dinosaurs aren't really historically accurate, but who cares? My husband and I had a nice time taking a stroll through the woods, and my son got to marvel at big, colorful giant dinosaurs. (A few of them appeared to be under renovations, but I've heard the place is under new ownership and they might be sprucing it up a bit.)

Also, there's putt-putt golf and fro-yo. All told, it's worth the price of admission.
Walking with a toddler, it took about an hour to get through all the statues.

Visited August 2013
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Northern Illinois
Top Contributor
90 reviews 90 reviews
34 attraction reviews
Reviews in 37 cities Reviews in 37 cities
58 helpful votes 58 helpful votes
“Good for small kids”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed August 12, 2013

Giant dinosaurs in the woods. We had two three year olds and they loved it. This place reminds me of many of the attractions that were around in the early 60's. Truly a step back in time. We didn't play mini golf but the course looked nice. Prices were reasonable even in the gift shop.

Visited August 2013
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Alpena
Senior Contributor
48 reviews 48 reviews
18 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
“Fantasy world made real”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed July 9, 2013

Unbelievable dinosaur gardens with real life looking replicas that will delight people of all ages. You can even get a nice game of putt-putt golf. The walk through the woods seeing all the sites is a delight for children and adults. Let your imagination soar when you visit this awesome place.

Visited August 2012
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Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
“Good attraction in Ossineke”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed July 7, 2013

We visited Dinosaur gardens during our Michigan holiday. My 6 year son really likes dinosaurs. He loved seeing the life size replicas of all the dinosaurs and animals. My 3 year daughter also enjoyed it. She liked the frog and mushroom table / umbrella.

My wife and I enjoyed it. I was a nice walk through the woods and it was nice to see the kids excited.

The gift shop has all sorts of dinosaur souvenirs and refreshments.

We spent an hour or so there. Admission for 2 adults and 3 kids ( 6yrs, 3yrs and 9 mos ) was $27. It would have been nice if kids under 1-2 years were free.

Overall, it was a neat place to check out and we enjoyed it.

Visited July 2013
Was this review helpful? Yes 1
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

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